Teens charged in Teaneck High School 'prank' appear in court

Recent Teaneck High School graduate Jamir Cope, left, who was arrested for allegedly participating in a senior prank at the high school in May, before Judge James E. Young Jr. Cope was one of teens who asked to have his case put on hold pending their attorneys’ review of discovery documents.

TEANECK — Three teenagers involved in the high school senior prank May 1 are waiting to see evidence before deciding whether to take a “get out of jail free” offer for first-time offenders.

Four of the two dozen 18-year-olds charged as adults with disorderly persons charges appeared before a municipal court judge on Wednesday. Three asked to have their cases put on hold pending their attorneys’ review of what are known as discovery documents.

One student opted to enter a program that allows first-time offenders to avoid having a record — a deal brokered by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.

Judge James Young Jr. granted new court dates for Stephanie Rubok, Jamir Cope and Ashley Martin to allow their lawyers time to receive the discovery documents. Upon their review, the teenagers could still choose to take the plea deal or ask for a dismissal.

Had they chosen the pre-trial intervention program, they might have ended up with small fines and no community service. That is what Fatima Umar did.

Young assigned Umar $158 in court fees that can be paid over a six-month probationary period, during which she must stay out of trouble. The program does not require regular check-ins from Umar, who had not been in trouble before the incident. Umar, who appeared in court without an attorney, told the judge she was enrolling at Queens College in the fall to study sociology and would be commuting from Teaneck.

“I think this is an appropriate remedy,” Young said.

The judge expressed no reservations about allowing the other teenagers more time, given their attorneys’ assertion that evidence and statements supporting the charges had not been provided by authorities before the hearing.

Joseph Rotella, the attorney for Rubok, said he made a request for the discovery documents on May 5 and was informed by the Teaneck Police Department on May 27 that the documents were not yet available.

Young granted Rotella’s request for time to review evidence: “I will contact the police department to find out what, if anything is the reason for the delay. You certainly have a right to your discovery. I don’t know what the problem is.”

An attorney for Martin says she is “absolutely not guilty” of the charge and advised her client not to take the pretrial intervention program because it would preclude her from using the program should she face a more serious charge in the future.

“If the person gets in some minor trouble again – and they’re young, so they’re just starting out – they have no other option,” said Aishaah Rasul, an attorney with a private practice in Englewood.

Authorities say the students left the township high school trashed in the early morning hours of May 1 — they described finding graffiti, overturned chairs and desks, and petroleum jelly smeared on doorknobs. Police arrested and charged 63 seniors — 39 juveniles and 24 18-year-olds ­— with burglary and criminal mischief.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office downgraded the charges on May 21 to disorderly persons and said the adult and juvenile students could accept a deal and expunge their records. The expected penalty would be community service, said County Prosecutor John Molinelli, who on Tuesday agreed that lawyers should not advise their clients without “full knowledge of the case” through discovery.

Generally, prosecutors are required by court rules to disclose case evidence when a plea offer is extended, Molinelli told The Record. Some veteran criminal defense attorneys in Bergen County, however, disagree on whether such disclosures are necessary for this particular case.

It’s a “smart thing” to review discovery documents, said attorney Bob Galantucci of Hackensack. They may decide to use the pretrial intervention program, “but they can’t come to that conclusion without the paperwork.”

Frank Lucianna, also a Hackensack-based lawyer, said not taking the deal is risky.

“They should take the pretrial intervention without hesitation,” Lucianna said. “I sympathize with students who want to leave a mark on their school, but there are certain boundaries. What’s the discovery going to say? It’s going to say the place was broken into. Just the fact that there was a trespass, that’s enough” for the charge.

The rest of the two dozen 18-year-olds charged in the prank will have hearings each Wednesday morning through Aug. 13. The cases are being heard individually, but in clusters of three to four, according to a clerk of the court.